US$24 trillion. That is the estimated value of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s untapped mineral resources, a figure that continues to shape global interest in the country’s vast geological wealth and its strategic role in the race for critical minerals.
The estimate reflects the country’s enormous reserves of cobalt, copper, coltan, lithium, gold, tin, tantalum and other strategic minerals that are essential for electric vehicle batteries, smartphones, renewable energy technologies, semiconductors and defence industries.
As demand for critical minerals grows, the DR Congo has become a focal point for competition among the United States, China and the European Union, all seeking to secure reliable supply chains for the global energy transition.
Colonial-era archives gain new strategic valueAgainst this backdrop, Belgium and the DR Congo have agreed to develop a joint roadmap to digitise and gradually return hundreds of metres of colonial-era geological archives currently preserved at the AfricaMuseum in Tervuren, near Brussels.
The collection contains nearly 500 metres of geological maps, mining reports, exploration records and field notebooks compiled before Congo’s independence in 1960.
Congolese authorities believe the archives could help identify previously unexplored mineral deposits, accelerate geological research and strengthen the country’s scientific sovereignty over its natural resources.
More than historical documentsThe archives have become part of a broader geopolitical contest over access to critical minerals.US-based KoBold Metals, an artificial intelligence-driven mineral exploration company, had expressed interest in digitising the Belgian archives before reaching separate agreements with Congolese authorities to digitise mining records held at the University of Lubumbashi.
Meanwhile, Kinshasa has introduced tighter controls over cobalt exports through a quota system aimed at increasing government oversight of one of the world’s most strategic battery minerals.
Analysts say access to geological data is becoming almost as valuable as access to the minerals themselves, giving countries greater leverage in negotiations with international investors and mining companies.
Turning potential into developmentWhile the US$24 trillion estimate highlights the scale of the country’s mineral wealth, experts note that transforming those resources into sustainable economic development will depend on improved governance, security, infrastructure investment and greater transparency in the mining sector.
For the DR Congo, the return and digitisation of historical geological records represents more than the recovery of colonial archives.
It is increasingly viewed as an opportunity to strengthen national control over geological knowledge, attract responsible investment and maximise the long-term benefits of one of the world’s richest mineral endowments.
Write with Olamilekan is a business journalist covering markets, technology, and changing landscape of African economies for Business Insider Africa. He writes with a focus on how innovation, policy, and entrepreneurship are shaping opportunities across the continent
